Key senators will vote to declassify Senate findings on CIA

Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King said Wednesday they will vote to declassify the findings, conclusions and executive summary section of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA interrogation techniques.

Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King said Wednesday they will vote to declassify the findings, conclusions and executive summary section of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA interrogation techniques.

Their votes are likely to mean a majority of the 15-member committee will back declassification. A vote is expected Thursday.

The committee has seven Democrats, seven Republicans, including Collins, and one independent, King.

“We remain strongly opposed to the use of torture, believing that it is fundamentally contrary to American values," the two senators said in a joint statement.

"While we have some concerns about the process for developing the report, its findings lead us to conclude that some detainees were subjected to techniques that constituted torture. This inhumane and brutal treatment never should have occurred. Further, the report raises serious concerns about the CIA’s management of this program."

They stressed that their vote does not signal a full endorsement of all conclusions or methodology.

"The report has some intrinsic limitations because it did not involve direct interviews of CIA officials, contract personnel, or other Executive branch personnel," their statement said.

"It also, unfortunately, did not include the participation of the staff of Republican Committee members. We do, however, believe in transparency and believe that the Executive Summary, and Additional and Dissenting Views, and the CIA’s rebuttal should be made public with appropriate redactions so the American public can reach their own conclusions about the conduct of this program."

The senators pointed out that torture is wrong. "We must make sure that the misconduct and the grave errors made in the CIA’s detention and interrogation program never happen again," they said.